CSK create history by shelling out ₹28.40 crore to purchase two uncapped Indian players at IPL 2026 auction

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) created a new record for uncapped players at the IPL 2026 auction. The five-time champions spent ₹14.2 crore apiece to buy the left-arm spinner Prashant Veer and wicketkeeper-batter Kartik Sharma. The two players had a base price of ₹30 lakh each. Notably, the Super Kings entered the auction with the second-highest purse at INR 43.40 crore.

For Veer, CSK's winning bid came after an intense bidding war involving the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Mumbai Indians (MI), Rajasthan Royals (RR), and SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). The Super Kings then beat MI, LSG, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and SRH to buy Kartik.

Veer picked up nine wickets in seven matches for UP in the 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Tournament (SMAT). The 20-year-old bowled at an impressive economy rate of 6.76 with best figures of 3/20 against Jammu & Kashmir. The left-handed batter is also handy with the bat in the lower order. He returned with scores of 37*, 22*, and 40* against J&K, Maharashtra, and Bihar, respectively.

The Super Kings have apparently replaced Ravindra Jadeja (traded to RR) with Prashant Veer. Notably, Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement ahead of IPL 2026 retentions.

On the other hand, Kartik Sharma amassed 133 runs in five matches for Rajasthan in 2025 SMAT. Overall, the right-hander has amassed 334 runs in 11 T20 innings at a strike rate of 162.92, including two half-centuries. It’s worth mentioning that the middle-order batter has five tons in domestic cricket after playing just 17 games, including 11 First-Class innings and eight List-A innings.

Notably, the 19-year-old smashed a century on his Ranji Trophy debut, scoring 113 off 115 balls against Uttarakhand in the 2024-25 season. He is the fourth wicketkeeping choice for CSK after MS Dhoni, Sanju Samson, and Urvil Patel.

Earlier, Avesh Khan was the costliest uncapped player in IPL, bought for ₹10 crore by LSG in 2022.

CSK’s buys at IPL 2026 auction (so far)

Prashant Veer – ₹14.20 crore

Kartik Sharma – ₹14.20 crore

Akeal Hosein – ₹2 crore

Purse remaining: ₹13 crore

Players Retained: Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, *Jamie Overton, MS Dhoni, Mukesh Choudhary, *Nathan Ellis, *Noor Ahmad, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Sanju Samson (T), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Ayush Mhatre, *Dewald Brevis, Urvil Patel.